Indianapolis man charged with murder after woman was shot and dropped outside of area hospital: cops

A woman was shot and dumped at an Indiana hospital last week,  and police say they have now arrested her suspected killer. 

On April 21, just before 7:00 p.m., Indianapolis police officers were dispatched to Riley Hospital for report of a person shot, according to the Indianapolis police. 

The woman  had injuries consistent with one or more gunshot wounds. The victim, Joan Berry, 41, was pronounced dead by medical staff, according to police

According to Indy Star, surveillance footage from the hospital showed a blue Nissan Rogue pull up to the entrance of the emergency room. The passenger door opens, and Berry “is seen falling from the vehicle to the ground.”

The car then drove away, running over Berry’s left arm and leg, according to the report. 

About 90 minutes later, investigators were called to a vehicle crash with shots fired involving a Nissan Rogue, according to Indy Star. Police were told that one person was armed with a gun and had fired shots before trying to carjack someone.

Gary Jackson, 39, was found lying in the bushes at the side of a house near the site of the accident. A gun and a mounted laser attachment were found nearby, according to an affidavit obtained by Indy Star.

Jackson told police he had been “smoking and drinking with a friend” before the crash.

Officers saw an apparent bullet hole in the windshield of the car and blood on the man’s pants. When asked if someone had been shot, Jackson told officers, “I think I hurt one of my friends,” according to Indy Star.

The Nissan matched the vehicle seen in the hospital surveillance footage, and investigators found a left shoe that matched the one Berry wore to the hospital on the front passenger seat floorboard. White feathers matching Berry’s coat were also found, according to police. 

Three spent 9mm cartridge casings and three fired bullets in the car were determined to be fired by the gun that was found near Jackson, according to Indy Star.

Jackson was arrested for carrying a handgun without a license. The next day, during an interview with detectives, he said he picked Berry up and driven to an abandoned house “to use narcotics,” Indy Star reported.

Jackson claimed he didn’t know what had happened after he picked Berry up, and that his next memory was the car crash, according to the affidavit.

“Have you ever seen someone smoke that (expletive)?" Jackson reportedly told police. "They don’t know what’s going on.”

Jackson has now been charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, carrying a handgun without a license, criminal recklessness and leaving the scene of an accident.

Jackson is being held without bond in Marion County Jail.